{"id":25892,"date":"2024-08-11T13:38:28","date_gmt":"2024-08-11T12:38:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.minichallenge.co.uk\/?p=25892"},"modified":"2024-08-11T13:38:34","modified_gmt":"2024-08-11T12:38:34","slug":"dan-zelos-returns-to-top-step-in-second-knockhill-encounter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.minichallenge.co.uk\/2024\/08\/11\/dan-zelos-returns-to-top-step-in-second-knockhill-encounter\/","title":{"rendered":"DAN ZELOS RETURNS TO TOP STEP IN SECOND KNOCKHILL ENCOUNTER"},"content":{"rendered":"

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DAN ZELOS RETURNS TO TOP STEP IN SECOND KNOCKHILL ENCOUNTER<\/h2>\n

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Dan Zelos returned to the top step of the podium in the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE with victory in the second race of the weekend at Knockhill.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The defending champion had been winless across the previous two events and missed out on a podium finish in race one of the weekend as a result of track limits penalty that dropped him back from second to fourth.<\/p>\n

The reverse grid race kicked off with Tom Ovenden on pole from Lewis Selby, but Zelos wasted little time in getting ahead of the NAPA Racing UK man to take second spot – sliding ahead at turn three.<\/p>\n

Ovenden – winner last time out at Croft – was able to lead the early stages of the race but as Max Hall made his way up the order behind, Zelos was aware of the need to try and overhaul his team-mate to grab the lead.<\/p>\n

A late dive at the hairpin on lap four allowed Zelos to hit the front and as the pack squabbled behind, he was able to to race away to score victory and take fastest lap, helping to move him a step closer to a third title.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings didn\u2019t go to plan yesterday where I felt we deserved a podium, and it was down to me to keep it on track today,\u201d he said. \u201cWe got up to P2 at the start and I feel a bit bad for passing Tom but it had to be done for the championship.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cOnce ahead, I got the gap we needed and having not won since Snetterton, it\u2019s nice to be back on the top step.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Ovenden would find himself then coming under pressure from Hall and Jamie Osborne in the battle for second, with both having managed to get ahead of Selby.<\/p>\n

Hall tried to find a way ahead at the hairpin on eight without success, but going into lap nine, slid down the inside of Ovenden to grab second when the trio went three-wide into turn three.<\/p>\n

Osborne and Selby then cleared Ovenden after a touch at the hairpin on lap ten, with Osborne chasing down Hall to leave the pair dicing for second over the final laps.<\/p>\n

Hall was forced to take an increasingly defensive line in order to keep Osborne at bay but managed to hold on to grab second spot and keep his slim title hopes alive.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was so hard to keep Jamie behind as he was so much quicker,\u201d he said. \u201cI had to just park it on apex and hold on as much as I could and it was so tough to manage.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI kissed my chance of a win goodbye when Jamie was behind but it had to be done and the main thing is that it keeps the title fight alive.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Selby chased the top three home to grab fourth spot and with it, the Directors Cup title, with Ovenden behind in fifth. Post race however, Osborne was penalised for the earlier contact with Ovenden – dropping two places and putting his NAPA Racing UK team-mate onto the podium.<\/p>\n

Marlo Cordell took sixth having spent a large chunk of the early stages dicing with race one winner Dominic Wheatley, edging clear to end the race on Ovenden\u2019s tail, with Josh Porter and Wheatley dropping away in the final stages.<\/p>\n

However, there would be another change to the result as Cordell was dropped two places for contact with Wheatley earlier in the race that had allowd him to gain an unfair advantage.<\/p>\n

Nathan Edwards, who will start race three from pole, took ninth ahead of guest entrant Gerry Hendry, with Lydia Walmsley, Nelson King and Brent Bowie rounding out the field.<\/p>\n

Walmsley had been running in the top ten going wide at the Chicane, whilst King before picked up two track limits penalties that dropped him down the order.<\/p>\n

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Dan Zelos returned to the top step of the podium in the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE with victory in the second race of the weekend at Knockhill.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":25882,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1462,1465],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-jcw"],"yoast_head":"\nDAN ZELOS RETURNS TO TOP STEP IN SECOND KNOCKHILL ENCOUNTER - MINI CHALLENGE<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.minichallenge.co.uk\/2024\/08\/11\/dan-zelos-returns-to-top-step-in-second-knockhill-encounter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"DAN ZELOS RETURNS TO TOP STEP IN SECOND KNOCKHILL ENCOUNTER - 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